Shafer Scholarships Give Minority Students a Taste of Campus Life

Six students from New Haven public schools will begin a Yale summer program that fosters academic and personal growth among the city’s minority students by enabling them to experience college life at one of the world’s great universities, thanks to a scholarship provided by a Hillhouse High School and Yale alumnus.

The Shafer Family of New Haven has provided resources since 1980 to fund a number of scholarships for Yale summer programs. In 1991, Mark Shafer, a New Haven native, established an endowment that makes it possible for five or six New Haven minority high school students to attend Yale programs each summer.

These students apply to the program through the guidance counselors of their schools. Yale bases its admission decisions on the students’ academic achievement and leadership potential. The scholarships include full tuition for two 5-week regular Yale College courses during the summer, room and board to live on-campus in one of Yale’s residential colleges, and $450 for books and a general spending allowance.

This year, 4 young women and 2 young men are enrolled in the program.

This year’s students are:

Chevaunne Breland, James Hillhouse High School
L’Nyr Herbert, Hill Regional Career Magnet High School
Carla Jackson, High School in the Community
Diane Lazo, Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School
Chang Liu, Wilbur Cross High School
Brandon Timmone, James Hillhouse High School